Mena, AR

Census Place

2024 Population

5,582

US Senator

John Boozman

Republican Party

US Senator

Tom Cotton

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

42.7

5.17% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

13.9%

20.6% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$47,428

6.78% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$132,900

Population & Diversity

Mena, AR is home to a population of 5.58k people, from which 99.3% are citizens.

As of 2024, 0.717% of Mena, AR residents were born outside of the country (40 people).

In 2024, there were 31.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (5.13k people) in Mena, AR than any other race or ethnicity. There were 165 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 99 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.3%

2024 Citizenship

97.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.3% of Mena, AR residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Mena, AR was 97.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Mena, AR compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Mena, AR

White (Non-Hispanic)
5.13k ± 153
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
165 ± 93
White (Hispanic)
99 ± 84

4.3%

Hispanic Population

240 people

4.3% of the people in Mena, AR are hispanic (240 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Mena, AR as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Arkansas.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
66,868 ± 6,279 people
El Salvador
15,793 ± 3,077 people
India
10,798 ± 2,547 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Arkansas was Mexico, the natal country of 66,868 Arkansas residents, followed by El Salvador with 15,793 and India with 10,798.

Foreign-Born Population

0.717%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

40 people

2.09%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

117 people

As of 2024, 0.717% of Mena, AR residents (40 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Mena, AR was 2.09%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Mena, AR compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
189 ± 96
Gulf War (2001-)
43 ± 47

Mena, AR has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 4.4 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Mena, AR.

Economy

The economy of Mena, AR employs 2.29k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Mena, AR were Retail Trade (475 people), Manufacturing (376 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (370 people), and the highest paying industries were Construction ($90,221), Manufacturing ($68,158), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($50,417).

Employment

Occupations

2.29k

2024 Value

± 387

−7.67%

1 Year decline

± 25.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Mena, AR declined at a rate of −7.67%, from 2.48k employees to 2.29k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Mena, AR, are Sales & Related Occupations (244 people), Management Occupations (242 people), and Production Occupations (209 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Mena, AR.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Arkansas.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Arkansas (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

2.29k

2024 Value

± 387

−7.67%

1 Year decline

± 25.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Mena, AR declined at a rate of −7.67%, from 2.48k employees to 2.29k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Mena, AR, are Retail Trade (475 people), Manufacturing (376 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (370 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Mena, AR, though some of these residents may live in Mena, AR and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$40,428

Median earning men ± $7,848

$31,193

Median earning women ± $7,481

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Construction ($90,221), Manufacturing ($67,544), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($66,827).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($80,500), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($43,030), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($37,667).

Education

The student population of Mena, AR in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 343 male students and 443 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Mena, AR are White (266 and 80.4%), Hispanic or Latino (36 and 10.9%), American Indian or Alaska Native (18 and 5.44%), and Black or African American (4 and 1.21%).

The largest universities in Mena, AR by number of degrees awarded are University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain (338 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Mena, AR are General Studies (77 and 22.8%), Liberal Arts & Sciences (32 and 9.47%), and Welding Technology (31 and 9.17%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 786 students enrolled in Mena, AR, 43.6% men and 56.4% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 544 records, of which 58.6% were women and 41.4% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Studies
32 degrees awarded
Liberal Arts & Sciences
32 degrees awarded
Other Multidisciplinary Studies
15 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Mena, AR was General Studies with 32 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Mena, AR according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

338 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain with 338 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 113 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Mena, AR, which is 0.502 times less than the 225 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 266 degrees mean that there were 7.39 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 36 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($2,448) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,584) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($960) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Mena, AR was $132,900 in 2024, which is 0.399 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $114,200 to $132,900, a 16.4% increase. The homeownership rate in Mena, AR is 67.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Mena, AR have an average commute time of 15.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Mena, AR is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$132,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$18,713

$1,545

Median Property Taxes

±$272

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Mena, AR the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Mena, AR compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

67.5%

Homeownership

2024

70.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 67.5% of the housing units in Mena, AR were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 76.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Mena, AR compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$47,428

Median Household Income

± $8,479

2.29k

Number of Households

± 352

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.29k households in Mena, AR declined from $47,428 from the previous year's value of $50,875.

The following chart displays the households in Mena, AR distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Mena, AR is from Arkansas.

0.445

2024 Wage GINI in Arkansas

0.448

2023 Wage GINI in Arkansas

In 2024, the income inequality in Arkansas was 0.445 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.844% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Arkansas was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Arkansas in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Arkansas across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (79.5%)
Carpooled (11.4%)
Walked (4.31%)

In 2024, 79.5% of workers in Mena, AR drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.4%) and those who walked to work (4.31%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

15.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Mena, AR have a shorter commute time (15.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 5.02% of the workforce in Mena, AR have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Mena, AR compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Mena, AR distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Mena, AR have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

13.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Mena, AR (757 out of 5.45k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Mena, AR is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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